The Ultimate Betrayal ReVisited
by cheerthis95
Summary: This is a revamped, redone version of my original Ub. It's repolished, redone, more embellished and hopefully has more feelings & better descriptions!It's all about new crew, old rivals and lots of drama!
1. Chapter 1

A/n: This is a redo of the first story, The Ultimate Betrayal, but it is hopefully with more detail, better descriptions, and more insight to the characters than before. It has been over 4 years since I posted the original and I am hoping that those of you that read the first one can give me notes on if it's better or worse or your thoughts on if I've grown and changed as a writer. My goal is to see if I can enhance the story and see if I have done any growing writing wise. I hope to get honest feedback and get some practice in at writing it with more feeling and writing from the character's point of views. This is pretty much a test to myself. A little of the old, lots of new and so without further ado, here it is. Cheer

Chapter 1

Jordan O'Connor flung her long blonde hair off of her shoulders and winced at the heat. The heat was so hot on the street she was walking on that she swore the bottom of her tennis shoes were going to melt at any moment. The air was so humid it almost took your breath away, but that was California for you. She looked around at the seemingly lifeless street with the garage and café at the end of the street and took in a deep breath. This was it. This was not only the last clue to find him but her only hope at this point to her survival. Being a 17 year old girl living on the streets was dangerous and unheard of. She was all alone and on her own. She licked her lips nervously as she got closer to the garage that said Toretto's Garage and rubbed the palms of her hands nervously on her short jean shorts that had frayed edges. She looked at the old worn down building with the sign hanging crookedly and shook her head as thoughts ran amuck in her head. This is not the kind of place Brian would be. You're nuts for even coming here, she scolded herself. He probably won't be here just like he wasn't at all the other places. Damn you, Brian for being so hard to find. Damn their parents for getting a divorce when she was 11 and only thinking of themselves. Why was it they felt that they had to split her and Brian up as though they were just pieces of property?Her mom had gotten her and Brian had won the lottery of going to their father. Here it was, eight years later and she was a ward of the state ever since her mom had given up custody of her. But Jordan wasn't staying in the state's custody and had taken it upon herself to run away and search for her brother, someone who truly would love her and take care of her until she was old enough to be out and on her own.She took a deep breath as she neared the little café, her fingers going ninety miles an hour as though she was playing a piano out of pure nerves. She fought to keep her self control.

She sat down on a squeaky old bar stool in the little café in the run down part of Los Angeles, coughing nervously. She looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. The café was small, musty, and attached to a garage. The walls were made of old wood that looked like it had been stripped from wear and tear from all the elements of the weather. She looked up at the ceiling uncomfortably as she waited patiently and tried not to squirm from anxiousness for someone to come and take her order. It's no wonder this place was not packed, it almost seemed to be a ghost restaurant, she thought to herself as she started to swivel on the stool just to keep herself 

amused and from falling asleep. It had been two days since she had gotten a peaceful sleep, she counted as she yawned.

"Can I help you?" A rough looking guy asked her shrewdly she almost jumped out of her skin. Jordan swiveled back around to face him, embarrassed she had been swiveling around on the stool like a kid, and studied the man with great detail as she thought of how to answer his question. She didn't want to say the wrong things, she didn't want to give out details that could be too much or put her in harm's way. It wasn't everyday a 17 year old on the loose from the state came walking into your place and asking questions so she knew she had to be careful on how she handled it all. She took in a deep breath. "What, the cat got your tongue?" He asked, putting down his rag that he had been wiping his hands on. His hands looked like mechanic hands and gross at that, Jordan thought to herself and tried to not to make a face that would give away her thoughts. She quickly finished studying his dark, scruffy beard and looked into his cold, dark eyes. He stared back at her with suspiciousness, as though he didn't like her or trust her. It could be both, she reckoned. She waited to answer him, as though trying to test his patience. She loved the idea of getting him frustrated, she didn't like the aura about him. He seemed, well, she couldn't put her finger on the right word, but she defiantly didn't like something about him. "Fine, stare all you want, I'm leaving. I have better things to do." The guy muttered, his scowl quite unattractive. Who was this girl to come in here and not say anything? She came in this place, she had the responsibility to speak. She looked like some little rich girl wanting to be a tough bad girl to him and he hated fake people. She was alright looking, but nothing spectacular. He didn't like blondes, especially really blonde blondes.

"Do you have a menu?" the petite blonde asked, her ice blue eyes catching the muscular guy's attention and a little off guard when she finally made eye contact with him.. He tossed a menu at her. She sat up indignantly, trying not to say anything about his attitude problem. Who was this guy to be such a jackass to his customers, she wondered. Oh well, she thought, she had more important things on her agenda.

"Be nice, V." A tall, lanky, almost awkward girl with long black hair came in and pushed him with a smile. "Just ignore Vince and let me know when you're ready." She nodded at the girl. The guy she had just called Vince shook his head at her in annoyance and went to the garage. Mia was always being too nice, Vince thought to himself. That was part of the reason they had suffered so much drama in the first place was because her brother had the same problem. They were too nice to people they did not know and it cost the crew to end up in bad situations. "I'm Mia." She said, holding out her hand, her dark eyes twinkling with almost what seemed to be mischief.

"I'll have a coke and a cheeseburger and fries, please." Jordan said quietly, not really too hungry She knew she needed to eat since she had been traveling for a while, hadn't ate too much, and needed a place to rest but her nerves were working the best of her at the moment. "Do you happen to have a phone book by chance?" She asked before she lost her nerve to do so.

"Sure, here you go." Mia nodded and handed her the phone book, then she began to work on her food request. Jordan studied her as the girl began to fry the hamburger. She was tall, pretty in an un-pretty kind of way, but she seemed to hold something about her in a bitter way. Jordan was 

horrible at reading people but she could tell the girl's happiness was an act. Jordan knew how to pull that act off flawlessly so she could spot someone acting like that a mile away. As she waited for her food, Jordan's thought turned to where her brother could be. She was in trouble and needed him more now than ever. This was the last known area she had been told he was spotted to have been in, but she wasn't sure if she could get her nerve up to ask these guys or if this was really an accurate place at all. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't pay any attention to what was going on around her. She jumped when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Do you need some help? I noticed the phone book and thought maybe I could help." A tall svelte "racer girl" asked after walking in. Jordan noticed she looked like a cross between a lingerie model and a racer. She pulled her long black hair with caramel highlights into a clip to get it up off her back, as it was starting to heat up outside. "I'm Tiffany Saunders." She stuck out a hand to Jordan. The tribal art tattoo on her arm mixed with the black leather pants and rhinestone tank top made Jordan feel a little intimidated. Jordan shifted nervously and shook her hand to be polite. She looked pretty rough and not someone who would be so nice as to introduce herself and shake hands so easily, so friendly. This made Jordan feel on edge about the girl and made her even more nervous.

"Jordan." Jordan said, shifting on the bar stool as Tiffany shook her hand with a very firm grip.

"So, what can I help you with? I'm very happy to help." Tiffany volunteered, knowing she was intimidating this girl. It was something she had always been good at, intimidating people. She used it to her advantage a lot. She gave Jordan a coy smile.

"Um...no, well, I'm just looking for someone." Jordan replied, licking her lips, a habit she had when she became nervous. Her mouth felt dry and she took a deep breath as she stared at the girl who was making her fidget. The girl's big brown eyes were enhanced only by a thin line of eyeliner and a lighter brown of eye shadow that really made her eyes stand out. I wish I had an edge like her, then no one would mess with me, Jordan thought to herself. She never noticed the three guys staring at her through a small square window on the other side of the café where a car garage was that made up Toretto's.

"I'm wonderin how a girl that looks that innocent found her way _here_." Leon Strong mused to Vince and Jesse, the boys watching the three girls from the window. It was rare that anyone found their way to Toretto's, much less someone young and attractive such as the blonde sitting there on a stool like she was.

"I don't know but she's kind of cute." Jesse said in his shaky, quiet voice and nodded, a slight smile on his face. He often didn't speak up on his own and when he had an opinion, he wasn't always sure of what his friends would say about it. He was a nervous kind of person himself, one who had been through a long and tough life. He was the youngest of the group and often the quietest. Leon ruffled his hair and left to get back to work, climbing under a car, leaving Jesse to watch the girl.

"I know a lot of people. I probably could help, come on, try me."Tiffany challenged, not getting a response. She looked at the girl and studied her. She was petite and very pretty. She looked like 

a timid mouse at the moment, Tiffany thought to herself. Whatcha afraid of?" Tiffany teased, sitting on the barstool next to her and folding her arms. Jordan shrugged, trying to find the right words to say as to not sound completely stupid. This girl didn't look like she put up with stupidity and that was the last thing she needed was to sound stupid. Jordan looked at Tiffany's face and felt like maybe this girl was not as hard to talk to as most of the people she had encountered in the first place. Jordan felt a guilty pang for maybe misjudging this girl based on her looks. She herself hated to be misjudged and here she was, doing it to this girl.

"It's not that. It's just that I have been all over looking for this person I'm looking for, and I just am about to give up." Jordan said wearily as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, not sure why she felt like telling this girl this. It wasn't like this girl was the ideal candidate to confess problems to. "No one seems to be able to help me find him. I go to every place he's been known to be but it's all pointless and a wash." Jordan stirred her coke with her straw, looking down as she talked. Tiffany recognized hopelessness and sadness in her tone of voice and wondered what would make a girl like her sound so pathetic. This really intrigued her.

"What's his name? You're here so you might as well follow up on the thing that led you here. It can't hurt to ask us, now can it?" Tiffany asked, noticing the girl hadn't touched her food. She looked like she was going to faint away as it was. All the girl was doing was playing with a fry and staring at the food as though it was going to do some sort of trick. The girl needed to put some meat on her bones and she needed to eat this food, Tiffany thought to herself.

"I guess you are right." She sighed, knowing that this girl was right. "Brian O'Connor." Jordan said, getting ready to explain who he was and why she was looking for him when Mia dropped the glass of water she had been pouring and coughed. Jordan looked at her, wondering if it had anything to do with Brian's name or if Mia was just usually a klutz and dropped things. "Do you know him? It's really important." Jordan asked, not caring if she sounded desperate. She needed to find him and the sooner the better. Mia looked at Tiffany with a loss of a reply. The two exchanged glances as if they were talking to each other without words. Tiffany shook her head as if to say 'don't say anything'.

"Actually, it does sound familiar. Hold on. I'll be right back." Tiffany said, making the young girl look hopeful. She walked outside and around to the back, where her best friend and owner of Toretto's, Dominic Toretto was working. He was shirtless in the hot sun, sweat glistening down his torso. "Dom, guess who is sitting in your café?" She asked with folded arms, standing above her kneeling friend as he was trying to pull something apart close to the ground. He looked up at her, knowing Tiffany was not one to waste his time and knew it must have been important. He winced at how her silhouette seemed to glow in the bright sun as he looked up at her, not really able to see her face.

"The Pope?" Dominic asked sarcastically joking, wiping the sweat off his brow. He wiped his hands and stood up, intrigued by the way his best friend was acting. He was a burly, muscular man with a bald head. He was all mechanic and could make any girl go weak in the knees with a slight smile. He was known for having a rough and tough reputation and he was dubbed the king of the streets by all street racers in Los Angeles, his racing record phenomenal.

"Mr. O'Connor's sister." Tiffany folded her arms, smiling smugly. Dominic looked up and stopped what he was doing. "Seems she's lookin for Brian. I was thinking I could introduce you, unless that is, you don't really want to meet her." Tiffany smiled sweetly. She knew Dominic wanted to find Brian O'Connor just as much as his own sister did. Brian had betrayed the group and had taken down an empire of heists that Dominic had been using to secure his crew's future and to take care of the bills. Brian was on his to do list, to be found, to be able to get back at him for what he had destroyed, not to mention the heart ache he had caused his own sister by leading her on and lying to her. He followed her without a word, his lips pursed together at the mention of Brian. "Dom, this is Jordan. Jordan, this is Dominic Toretto, owner of this place and big brother to Miss Mia over there." Tiffany introduced, watching her closely for a reaction. Now that the girl had affiliated herself with Brian O'Connor, she wasn't sure she could trust this girl. Maybe Brian was putting her up to it and maybe it was all an act, she thought. Maybe, maybe not. Time would tell eventually, she reassured herself. One thing was for certain, this girl could be the bait she needed to find Mr. O'Connor.

"Hi." Jordan said, not looking Dominic in the eye but noticing Dominic's strong muscles on his bulging biceps."I'm Jordan O'Connor." She said, getting up the courage to look into Dominic's dark brownish eyes. She looked away quickly as though she had seen a part of him she shouldn't have. She hoped she wasn't blushing but by the way her cheeks were burning, she was sure she was.

"I knew your brother. I don't know where he's at, but I'd like to find him." Dominic said with a nod, his voice deep and gruff. He shook her hand and noticed how small in comparison it was to his and how soft and gentle it was. He could see Brian and the girl's resemblance very easily. This girl's bright blue eyes caught him off guard and suddenly he didn't really feel like taking Brian's mistakes out on her. Her long blonde hair looked like spun gold. Stop it, he told himself. He had to remind himself to stay focused. Part of him wanted to find Brian to kick his ass and part of him wanted to just say a simple thanks and then kick his ass. Either way, Brian was going to get his ass kicked if Dominic ever found him.

"That makes two of us then." Jordan folded her arms, trying to look anywhere but in Dominic's eyes. She was disappointed he didn't have a clue as to where her brother was. She had hoped this guy would be the one with all the answers. He looked like that type of guy that always had the answers, the one you went to when you were in need of something. "Well, it was nice to meet you. Thank you, Mia, for the food." She smiled politely as she pulled out some money for her tab and started to head for the door, not waiting for the response.

"If you find him, tell him we need to talk to him too." Dominic called to her as she was about to head out to the road, not really wanting her to go. She nodded and waved and took off walking on foot, her pink messenger bag slung over her shoulder. Dominic, Tiffany, Jesse, Mia, Vince, and Leon all looked at each other in shock, not speaking a word. Surely she hadn't walked here was what they all seemed to be saying to one another.

"The girl doesn't even have a car? She don't need to be walkin alone out in these streets." Leon shook his head, wondering why in the hell she would be putting herself in danger like that. Streets in LA, especially in their neighborhood, were no joke.

"Oh well, one less O'Connor on the streets if something does happen to her." Vince cackled, smiling at his own joke. His smile was erased off of his face when he saw the group give him looks of disapproval. Here we go again, he thought to himself.

"She's as crazy as Brian. Someone go get her." Dominic said, himself also finding it hard not to be concerned about her. As much as he would have liked to go back to work, his consciousness wouldn't allow him to let her go on walking down the street into an even worse part of town.

"Jordan!" Tiffany yelled out, jogging up to her. "What are you doin? Are you nuts?" she asked, now walking beside the blonde. Surely she wasn't as dumb as what blondes had a reputation for, Tiffany thought. This girl seemed smart enough to know better. Surely, surely, she had a brain.

"Why do you say that?" Jordan said, looking truly confused. Why in the world would this girl think she was nuts after only meeting her for such a brief time, Jordan asked herself.

"Where's your car? I know you can't be walking alone on these streets." Tiffany asked, holding out her arms as she refereed to 'these streets'.

"I'm a big girl and can take care of myself. Besides, I don't have a license or a car." Jordan shrugged simply, still not seeing the big deal. She wasn't afraid to walk unless there was a police car approaching, something she hadn't seen at all since she had started down this unusually long street that seemed to be dead.

"This heat must have made you insane." Tiffany tsk'd her teeth. "Let's go, you're coming with me." Tiffany ordered, putting an arm around the frail blonde girl and turning her around to take her back to the garage. "Are you on your own? How have you been surviving?" she asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. The more she studied this girl, the more she wanted to know what the deal was. She was mysterious and yet she looked very young.

"I have money saved. I started working the minute I went into foster care 'cause I knew I was going to run away and try to find my brother. I'll be fine. I'll get a bus ticket and head to Miami. That's my next place. It's possible he could be there." Jordan said flatly as she kept walking with her hands in her pockets. She tried to keep the sadness and disappointment out of her voice with little success.

"Jordan, stop, please." Tiffany put a firm hand on her shoulder and made her face her. Jordan winced and pulled away, her big blue eyes even bigger now as well as teary.

"What?" she asked, sighing as she ran her hand through her long blonde silky hair, playing with the end of it nervously. She was always fidgeting with something, Tiffany noticed. She must have really had a hard time to be so anxious and nervous, Tiffany realized. The mistrust in her stunning eyes captivated Tiffany and Tiffany hardly ever cared to notice such things as a person's eyes, their demeanor, or anything personal about a person.

"Get in, Girls." Dominic pulled up beside the girls in his car, wearing his shades and coasted alongside with Jordan's fast and determined pace. He couldn't help but notice her long tanned 

legs and felt a pang of guilt for checking out someone so much younger than he was. Dominic lifted up his shades partly to look at her and gave her a small smile, hoping that would convince her as well as to keep him from looking her up and down again.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I've really got to go." Jordan shook her head stubbornly, her wide blue eyes reminding Tiffany of a deer caught in headlights. It was almost like she was afraid of them now, Tiffany noticed.

"Just stay with us tonight and get some rest. We're offering you a place to stay, no strings attached. You can rest up and start fresh tomorrow." Dominic suggested, holding up his hands innocently to convince her.

"Doesn't that sound like a smart idea? You can rest, take a shower, and borrow some of my clothes. Then maybe I can help you try to think of some more ideas to find Brian." Tiffany said, her hand still on the girl's shoulder. In the end, the girl really wasn't going to have much say about it, she was going to stay with them tonight so Tiffany and Dominic could get some more information out of her. But, Tiffany, reasoned, she wanted to make the girl feel like she had a choice in the matter to keep her from flipping out on her.

"These streets aren't nice, Jordan. You'll be an easy target to get killed or something worse. Just tonight, it's not like we're going to do something savage to you, we're just trying to help you." Dominic said in a convincing tone, the asking tone now gone. He had a way with the authoritive tones and most people who were smart listened to him. He wasn't king of the streets for nothing.

"Are you sure you'll let me leave in the morning? You won't make me stay, right?" Jordan asked skeptically, now chewing on her lip. If she stayed with them, it could be a risk, she didn't know these people but if she didn't, she wasn't sure what would happen to her on the streets, she though as she weighed it out. Plus, they didn't seem like they would let her _not_ not stay with them, she reasoned as she battled out her decision in her head. She looked at Tiffany, who nodded along with Dominic, her arms folded. Tiffany was curious to know what kind of trouble she could be in and what it was that was so important to find this brother of hers.

"We're not kidnapping you, damn." Dominic held up his hands with a slight grin. Jordan paused for another moment, looking deep in thought and then nodded. Dominic leaned over and opened the passenger door for her and Tiffany let her in first. They drove up to a modest white house with steps leading up to it from the driveway and took her inside. Jordan looked around. The house was average. It was homey, not a lot on the walls. The furniture looked a little old but yet so comfortable, Jordan noted

"Come on, I'll get you some clothes so you can take a shower." Tiffany took the girl by the hand and led her upstairs. Jordan's feet were so tired and she longed for such a hot shower that she quit looking around the house and quit fighting the help that was being offered to her and instead followed her without any hesitation.

"Thank you." Jordan said, closing the door to the bathroom. She sighed with relief that it was clean and that the water was hot. She was so grateful at the moment, words would have been 

hard to speak had someone been there to speak to. She took her time in the shower, turning on only the hot water. She put her head under it after squeezing out some shampoo. As she opened the conditioner, feeling a bit more relaxed now, she breathed in the smell of it and sighed. Simple things such as these were the things she missed the most. Why couldn't she have a normal teenage life? Her mother's actions had subjected her to so much stuff that she had blocked a lot of it out but what she hadn't blocked out had made her a very fearful, anxious, non-trusting person and she hated to be like that. She wanted to believe there was some good out there somewhere. She often pretended that the finding some good was a game and that she was on a quest to find it. She dozed off under the hot water for a moment and then woke up with a jolt, remembering this was not her house. She got out quickly and got dressed and found her way back downstairs where Dominic was in the kitchen, preparing to take some meat to out to the grill in the backyard.

"Thanks for letting me stay." Jordan said quietly in the kitchen to Dominic. She had caught him off guard. He turned around and looked at her in her pretty blue eyes. There was a softness to her that he hadn't seen in a girl before, not even in his own sister. She was very different and this not only intrigued him but bothered him that it intrigued him. It was almost as if this girl was pulling him in some way.

"It's not a problem, really." Dominic said, bending down to look in the refrigerator for a drink. "You drink? Want a Corona?" He asked, offering her one as he got one for himself. He figured he'd get her to relax. Then he found himself wondering if he should be offering alcohol to someone so young. Sure, in his world, people underage drank all the time, but what about in hers? Was she even underage? Maybe she just looked young and pretty, Dominic thought to himself, angered that he had thought of her as pretty. She wasn't his normal type at all.

"That sounds good." She smiled, her teeth showing for the first time. Dominic noticed how her teeth were not straight and how two of them were very close together in a kind of odd v formation, or maybe like vampire teeth, making her face look beautiful and very unique.

"So, what happened to you?" He asked, looking at her bruised arms. She self consciously wrapped her arms around herself, scolding herself for not remembering about the bruises on her arms. She didn't really want to remember, truth be known. She shivered at the thought she was forced to think of and shifted a bit in her stance.

"Long story." She said, not wanting to go into details, taking a drink to keep from having to elaborate. Besides, she thought to herself, what business of it was his? Sure, he was giving her a place to stay for a night but that didn't mean she had to give him her life details, right?

"I got time." Dominic shrugged. He wasn't sure why, but he felt concerned and really wanted to know what the deal was. She certainly didn't look like the fighting type that racer girls were, he noted. She looked more like a cheerleader or preppy kind of girl. She didn't look rough at all, not even on the edges and she looked like she'd be the type to say no thank you if challenged to a fight due to it getting her too dirty.

"I got in a fight." She said quietly, making Dominic look at her with surprise. How uncanny it was that she replied that at the same time of his thoughts. If he had been one to believe in mind reading, she would have really convinced him. Jordan was glad to see Tiffany come back in the room to break the silence and take the conversation off of her.

"Want another one, Jordan?" Tiffany asked, exchanging glances with Dominic. She had already finished her beer. Either she was thirsty or she was using this drink to keep from having to talk. Tiffany was guessing the latter but to her it didn't matter either way, as long as she wanted another drink.

"Thanks." Jordan smiled, reaching over the kitchen table to take it from Tiffany.

"So, where do you think your brother would be at since he's not here?" Tiffany asked, sitting back and crossing her legs. Jordan shrugged and looked sad again for a moment.

"I don't know. I think maybe in Miami. That's the one other place I haven't been." Jordan said, looking down and pulling off the paper from the Corona bottle and playing with it nervously between her hands.

"How in the world are you planning to get to Miami?" Dominic asked, sprinkling meat tenderizer over the pork chops on the plate he had. Jordan looked at him, and then looked away, scolding herself for thinking he was cute and that him cooking made him look very hot. This was no time for her to be thinking things like that, she reminded herself.

"Bus." She said, looking guilty as though Tiffany had caught her staring at Dominic's butt. Her face became warm and she prayed it wasn't beet red. Her red face and her big eyes always gave her away when she drank and she hated that. Police didn't even need any tests for her when she drank, all they had to do was look at her and they could tell she was consuming alcohol.

"I could just drive you there." Tiffany said nonchalantly, examining her nails as she talked. It was true, she had noticed Jordan's interest in Dominic but that really wasn't a big thing right now, she was more concerned with the discussion topic at the moment."I bet I can help. I got friends in Miami." Tiffany said, hoping this girl would cave easily. It was too bad she couldn't just tell Jordan she had an interest in finding Brian as well, she thought.

"It'd be better than a bus." Dominic said with a nod, taking a drink of his Corona and then heading out to put the meat on the grill. He came back in, having left Leon in charge of barbecuing them and stared at Jordan, making her fidget. "She's got to go down there herself for some unfinished business." Dominic said, smiling at Tiffany.

"You're probably right. It'd be a lot more fun than the bus." Jordan smiled, giving a yawn. She was suddenly so tired she could barely hold her eyes open. In fact, her legs felt like lead. She was beginning to relax and it was feeling good, she noted. She passed out soon after that.

"If you find him, bring him back." Dominic nodded to Tiffany, glad that had went well. His expression was dark as he stared at the girl slumped in the chair across from him, unaware that Tiffany had slipped a sleeping pill in her drink.

"That was my plan." Tiffany smiled, getting up and patting her best friend on the back.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"That girl has been here every night for the past week." Jimmy Hernandez said to Tej Parker, who was running Miami's nightly street races, nodding over towards a girl who was leaning on a dark cranberry Aston Martin. It was a Friday night and things were poppin. You could smell tires burning in the air from them spinning out on the black top, you could hear the chit chat of the racers and spectators lined up on the sides of the streets, and all the headlights from the cars gave the sky a bit of a haze. For anyone there, it was nothing but pure adrenaline rush.

"Yep. That car she gots is probably gonna kick some ass." Tej nodded. He decided to make an invitation to her to get her in the race. Even if the girl couldn't race, the car itself was a nice piece of eye candy and would give the spectators a thrill. "I'm Tej. Nice car." He nodded, sticking out his hand to shake hers. He noticed the gleam on her belt buckle and tried to nonchalantly look her up and down. She was defiantly new, he would have noticed her before, he noted.

"Tiffany." She smiled, not moving from the hood, but holding out her hand to shake his. Tej was dressed in the usual street racer gear, baggy pants, a muscle tee, and she grinned at the fact that no matter what part of the country you raced in, they all had a similar quality and similar people that raced.

"You new in town, huh? Do you race?" Tej asked, looking at his watch to make sure he wasn't going to get his races started late. He was known for being on time and being ready to roll. He was the organizer and he was large and in charge.

"Yeah, I race. I'm new here, but I race." She nodded, using her people reading skills to her advantage. She knew she was in and had convinced him she was a real racer. She knew it would be no time before she was lined up to race. "Would that be a challenge?" She raised an eyebrow, making sure she secured her place on the race line.

"If you want, if you think you can hack it" Tej shrugged, grinning at her confidence. "Four large. We got the best of the best racin tonight." He said in a warning tone as he looked down and counted the money he had been holding onto. He wanted to be fair and let her know she likely didn't stand a chance against the racers tonight.

"I've checked out the competition, you should warn them I'm on the blacktop tonight." Tiffany nodded, jumping off the hood to hand Tej the money with a grin as she patted him on the shoulder. She got in her car without another word, leaving him speechless at her confidence.

"Line up then, shit." He grinned. He noticed Suki pull up to the line. He looked down and shook his head with a grin at her persistence and determination to win a race. She raced every week. But he didn't complain because every time she needed her car worked on, she was at Tej's garage so it worked well for him. Tiffany lined up almost at the same time as the third racer. Brian made his grand entrance as usual, smoke blowing out of the sides. The crowds descended behind him, cheering him. Tiffany took this that he was the local hotshot, much like Dominic was the public favorite at the LA races.

"You're goin down tonight, Big Boy." Tiffany said out loud as she situated herself in her seat, looking over at Brian. He flashed her a smile but she ignored it, revving the engine. She was ready to take this egotistical boy down with a flair he'd never forget.

"Ready." Tej pointed to each of them. The engines revved in response and the tires squealed as they pulled off. Smoke clogged the night air and the moon shone down on the black top, making it almost glisten like ocean water. Too bad he seemed to be full of himself, he was actually kind of cute, Tiffany thought to herself as she battled him to take first place. She inched ahead of him and then he would inch back ahead of her. They continued to play cat and mouse until they reached the first turn. Brian then easily took the lead but Tiffany was able to stay on his tail, strategically staying back and waiting for the right moment to take back what was hers- the lead. She had the advantage of being outside on the last turn and used it to full advantage to pass Brian. In no time, the race was over. Brian, not far behind her, pulled up beside her and smiled.

"You're good." He nodded, his crystal blue eyes looking at her with appreciation. He wasn't even blowing up that he had just lost 4 thousand, Tiffany noted. If he was, he was playing it off nicely.

"You didn't too bad for someone who's king of the streets." Tiffany smiled coyly, testing him to see what his reaction to that phrase was. He did a semi double take and looked a bit nervous. She worked hard to keep from smiling widely at that one. So, he was still feeling guilty, she made a mental note to be sure to tell that to Dominic. She looked him up and down nonchalantly and was impressed immediately with his looks, although she didn't want to admit that out loud. The white t-shirt made his eyes stand out like a lit up Christmas tree in Times Square at night. His biceps were almost too big for the shirt he was wearing but she was perfectly content with them bulging as they were. She shook her head, almost as if to get her thoughts back in the appropriate place.

"You from around here?" He asked, interested in the new racer. He hadn't seen anybody that caught his attention like she did since Mia. He looked her up and down, liking the high heeled boots with the black lace up pants. Her hair was looking especially nice to him, it was as if it was glimmering in the moonlight. She almost looked like a star to him, she had a glow about her that made him sway at the knees. She was a treat to look at, no doubt about that.

"No. My name's Tiffany. What's yours?" She asked for his benefit. She already knew his name. She had seen countless pictures Mia had taken of him. Those same pictures were the ones Dominic had used to put out the word on the street that was calling for his head. Well, figuratively, that was. Dominic wanted to be the one to bring him to his knees and make him pay. Tiffany reveled at how the pictures had NOT done him any justice whatsoever. She fought hard to not fall under his charm that Mia had warned her about countless times.

"Brian." He grinned. "Brian O'Connor. As in who _was_ the best racer around." He grinned, looking down as he joked. "Hope we can have a re-match." He challenged, his eyes locking with hers. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful her honey brown eyes were. They had a dark aloofness about them but at the same time, they were a warm colored brown that made them seem like endless brown satin ripples.

"It's a possibility." Tiffany nodded, folding her arms and leaning on her car. She smiled, happy she had accomplished what she had set out to do. All she had to figure out was how to get him to the hotel to see a very apprehensive Jordan. "O'Connor, is it?" She paused and got a nod, his face turning serious as he wondered why she wanted to know. "Funny, I got this home girl, Jordan, looking for her brother. His name is Brian O'Connor too." She said, her finger on her mouth in a flirtatious way. Brian's smile disappeared and he stared at her as though she had struck a chord directly attached to his nerves.

"That's not funny." He said the memories of the past resurfacing and the pictures of his sister appearing in his head like visions in a dream.

"I know it's not. She's been through some stuff she won't even tell me about, something pretty serious. She's in trouble, beat up, and she got this far to find you and she's needing you. The least you can do is talk to her." Tiffany said, thinking maybe Brian didn't want anything to do with Jordan. There had to be a reason the look on his face was of concern.

"You know where she's at?" Brian asked, scratching his chin, his eyes intently fixated on this girl to try to see if she was lying to him or not.

"No, she's just someone I brought here to see you. I dropped her off on some train tracks before I came to race you and take your title." Tiffany joked sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Brian's usually easy going self wasn't smiling at this joke though.

"Is she here?" He asked, looking around and scanning the crowd that was beginning to break up and dissipate. The Miami air was beginning to get colder, the nightly fog was beginning to roll in and the dark clouds overhead were passing by the moon, casting a shadow on Tiffany, her confident, tall silhouette making Brian almost nervous.

"No, she's at the hotel we're staying at. She wasn't sure if you'd talk to her or not. But I told her you would because I would kidnap you if I had to." Tiffany shook her head, running a hand through her hair nonchalantly and smiling smugly. Brian laughed at her joke nervously but Tiffany was pretty sure he had no idea how truthful and serious she was being. But that was okay. She could deal with him being naïve as what he was. He was still cute, she reminded herself even if he wasn't totally able to read her like she was able to read him.

"Lead the way and I'll follow you." He nodded, his face serious.

"That's pretty much how it works in all my relationships." She smiled, getting in her car and commenting. She wasn't sure if he had heard her or not, but to her, it didn't really matter. She was just being truthful. Brian walked over to Tej and shook his hand.

"Tej, I'll catch up later. I gotta go." He told Tej, who nodded and was left wondering what the deal was. He wasn't sure why Brian was leaving with the mystery girl so quickly but he knew Brian well enough to know there had to be a reason. Brian wasn't usually a player or Casanova, in fact, since he had been here in Miami, he hadn't even laid eyes on a female. He wouldn't answer what had happened from where he came from but Tej could tell the wounds were still 

pretty deep and open. But, oddly tonight, he was leaving with racer girl. Tej quickly forgot about Brian when someone who owed him money walked past him. If there was anything to do with money, Tej was all over it. Tiffany and Brian weaved through traffic to a motel that was, ironically, down the street from Tej's garage. It was a grungy old motel, with the rooms only being about twenty of them. Above the office hung a half lit sign that the M and the T lights were out on so it read oel. It looked like a seedy place but was pretty well lit and there were a lot of cars in the parking lot. Every room was viewable from the office.

"Sorry if I was an asshole when you mentioned my sister." Brian apologized awkwardly, his hands stuffed in his pockets, as Tiffany opened the door with a key that had been given to her on a cheap little key ring by the motel.

"It's okay. I'll let you slide this time." Tiffany said with a smile, turning to face him, not realizing he was so close behind her. She tried not to look surprised as she looked into his eyes. She coughed and continued to speak. "Jordan was gonna take a bus by herself out here. She wasn't even sure if this is where you were so I'd told her I'd drive her out here and I just took a guess you'd maybe be at the races. I didn't know you would be the star of the show, though." Tiffany said, looking up at him and smiling charismatically. He grinned at her boyishly as he towered over her. They were so close they could have felt each other's hair rise up on the other one's arms if they were paying attention to detail. "Wait a minute, Ok?" She smiled as she let herself in, not wanting to stand so close to him for much longer or she wouldn't be able to trust herself. She was trained to know her weaknesses and trained to stay on task.

"Yeah. Don't be too long." He murmured, staring at her like a puppy in love. Her perfume alone captivated him. Mix that and the leather of the pants she was wearing and he swore it was intoxicating. He almost felt drunk just being so close to her sweet honey smelling hair. It smelt good enough to take a bite of.

"Jordan, I found him." Tiffany said, wanting to be courteous and give her new friend some warning. Jordan, who had been sitting crossed legged on the bed and looking at a cheerleading magazine, looked up in shock. Tiffany smiled and nodded at her.

"WOW! I've been looking for a year and nothing. You found him in less than a week. That's amazing." Jordan jumped up, giving Tiffany a hug. She checked her reflection in the mirror, making Tiffany laugh at how cute she was when she was nervous. It was like she was meeting her teacher for the first day or something. "I'm nervous." She admitted, seeing Tiffany stare at her with amusement.

"He seems pretty cool. You'll be all right. You got my cell number, right?" She asked, patting her pocket to make sure she still had her cell on her. Jordan nodded, looking a bit confused as to why she would ask that. Over the past week, Tiffany had found that Jordan's confused looks were comical and one of a kind. This kid was pretty easy to read too, thought Tiffany.

"Wait, where are you going?" She asked, surprised and putting a hand on Tiffany's shoulder to stop her from leaving.

"I'm going to go for a drive. Meet up with some old friends. I got business to take care of and you guys need time to talk." Tiffany said with a shrug, grabbing her windbreaker before she headed back to the door to let Brian in. She opened the door quickly, not wanting to give Jordan a chance to object to her leaving. "She's all yours, Blondie." Tiffany said, breezing past Brian and motioning for him to go on inside.

"Where are you going?" He stared after her as she walked away, holding the door to keep it from closing.

"You guys need some privacy." Tiffany smiled at him, loving how boyish he looked right at the moment. Him and Jordan resembled each other a lot in looks but it was their actions, reactions, and mannerisms that really cinched the idea that the whole brother/ sister relationship thing was legit. She could tell he was nervous and she couldn't blame him. Whatever the two had happened to them, it seemed pretty serious. She reminded herself it wasn't her business so she started for her car again. She turned around once more to find him staring at her walking away, yet still. "I'm sure you got a lot to talk about so go get to it. I turn into a pumpkin in an hour. I have to get my beauty sleep so better get to it. I'll be back soon." She promised over her shoulder as she walked to her car, the alarm beeping as she remotely unlocked it.

"Thanks." He called to her, stunned and not knowing what else to say. She wasn't sure how she could just up and leave without knowing for sure if that was his sister in there and vice versa for the girl inside. Maybe she had lied. What would Tiffany have done then? What if he had actually turned out to be a mass murder and killed some poor innocent girl and it would be her fault for taking his word that it was his sister he wondered. Did she set up meetings like this all the time? How did she know where to find him so easily? How was it that someone like her was so beautiful? He shook his head, trying to clear his head and bring back some focus to the situation at hand. He'd have plenty of time to think about her later he decided. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Jordan opened it slowly. He looked at the girl standing before him and was relieved that it was actually his sister he had lost contact with so long ago. "Hey sis." He smiled and enveloped her into a big bear hug.

"It is you!" Jordan smiled and said and then broke down crying. Brian held his sister for the longest time, playing with what he used to call her golden spaghetti hair, letting her get out what she needed to get out. She was an emotional, typical girl. Growing up, he had learned that when she was upset, she had to calm down and wasn't able to talk most of the time while crying. That's just how she was.

"You okay? Better now?" He asked, lifting her chin up to make her look at him. He studied her gaunt face and her sunken eyes and felt a pang of guilt for not being able to have found her. He hated that she was that one that had to find him. But it hadn't been from lack of trying. He had followed up on every possible lead to no avail.

"I'm sorry…. I came looking for you….. I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm tired of running." Jordan said, talking between deep breaths. He dried her tears as they fell.

"No, J, I've been looking for you too. I promise." He said, shaking his head. He ran a hand through his hair, something he did when he was nervous or upset. It was clear by her actions and the way she looked that she had been through something horrendous. "What's goin on?" He asked, stroking her hair as he held her on the bed. "Come on, you can talk to me." He coaxed, seeing her start to get worked up again.

"I... this guy and his gang are after me. I dated him... it's my fault." Jordan choked out, some parts of her sentence louder than others. She looked down in what seemed to be shame, not wanting Brian to think of her as stupid.

"Slow down. Start from the beginning. We got all night." Brian reassured her. It was then he noticed her bruises. He knew Tiffany was on a time limit but he also knew he could go buy her a room next door if it meant Jordan needed to talk to him and take her time doing it. He tried not to get too tense before finding out the story because he knew she would pick up on that as well.

"I started dating this guy after I ran away. He was my only way to stay in a house, away from the cops, off the streets and stuff." Jordan said, her voice cracking and a bit shaky. She drew in another deep breath, her eyes focusing on the swirly pattern of the cheap bedspread on the bed. "He was fine at first but then he started beating me and making demands I wasn't willing to do." Jordan said, her hands shaking. Brian's body tightened with each word. It was him taking the deep breath now.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you." He held her tightly as her body racked with sobs. He noticed her elbow was a blackish bluish. "Have you been to the hospital for that?" He asked, looking at it closer. She pulled back in pain, rubbing the arm as thought it was making it feel better.

"No. They'll take me back. I'll go to juve, Brian. I ran away from the state and they'll take me right back to where I worked so hard to get away from." Jordan said, her voice going an octave higher and sounding like she was in full fledge panic mode. She was panicking because it was starting to sound like he was going to make her go to the hospital. "If my name is on paper, Tran will fine me. He has so many connections, you have no idea, Brian. He's going to end up killing me." Jordan said, looking down and playing with her addias shoelace, her whole body shaking.

"How the hell do you know Tran?" He asked, reeling from the words that had just come out of her mouth. "What's his first name?" Brian asked, guessing he was probably jumping to conclusions. It was probably coincidental. At least he hoped. Tran was a common last name, he reasoned. It couldn't be the same Johnny Tran he knew, it just couldn't be. There would be no way in the world he reassured himself.

"Johnny. Why?" Jordan asked, confused about the intensity of Brian's voice, as she wiped her eyes. His look said there was a reason he wanted to know and she wanted to know his reason for wanting to know.

"Back up. How about you tell me from the beginning what you are talking about, it's important." Brian scooted on the bed, making himself more comfortable. She lay down, putting her head in 

his lap, her favorite way to lay by him so he could play with her long hair. To her, nothing was better in the world than having her hair played with.

"I met Johnny through a friend of his. I had run away and went to a club. He was nice at first. We started dating. I didn't know he was so mean." Jordan said softly, yawning. It was almost three am and she was starting to get tired. Brian playing with her hair was really starting to relax her and she felt safer in his company than she had felt in years.

"Was this in California?" He asked, making her sit up to look at him, wondering how he knew this. She nodded. "So you came all the way from Cali to here?" He asked, his eyes showing his shock and surprise.

"Yeah, thanks to Tiff." Jordan said, looking very grateful as she pulled a strand of her back behind her ear, one of her habits when she was uncomfortable or anxious. "Brian, I've been saving money since I was put in foster care to be able to come find you… I don't expect you to take care of me. I just wanted to see you, I just had too…." Jordan's voice broke even though it was only a soft and strained whisper. She was getting the feeling he didn't want her to cause him all this trouble. She really didn't blame him. He had his life all worked out, he didn't need her.

"You're staying with me, J. I'm not going to let you go away or disappear go anywhere. You're stuck with me so you just have to deal. " Brian assured her, tickling her in the ribs and giving her a grin. It almost seemed like old times. "I've missed you a lot." He added, his voice thick and deep with emotion.

"You're just saying that to be nice." Jordan sighed, unsure of what was the truth. Why would he want to take care of her, he already had his life. She was just a burden to everyone around her and she was sure he was just saying this to make her feel better. Surely he couldn't mean it. She wasn't sure if she could even trust her own brother.

"No, I'm not just saying that, you dork." Brian laughed, ruffling her hair like he had used to back in the day. "We're going to get your arm fixed tomorrow and I'll introduce you to my friends after that, okay?" He asked, not really caring if she said yes or no, regardless, she was going to stay with him now and he wouldn't let her change his mind about that.

"I still can't believe Tiffany found you." Jordan yawned sleepily and happily. She felt so relaxed, so much more relaxed than she had felt in a long time. She knew all she had needed to do was find her big brother and she finally accomplished that, she thought to herself happily.

"How long have you known her?" he asked, himself feeling drained from all the emotion and pure shock of things. For him, it had seemed a normal race night but it had turned into so much more and for that, he was grateful. Grateful, but yet so tired he thought as he yawned.

"A week." Jordan replied with a mumble as she began to drift off to sleep. Brian's phone rang and he quickly answered it, looking at her to make sure it hadn't woke her up. She looked like she needed sleep. When he looked at her, he couldn't help but smile. She looked like a peaceful 

angel sleeping on a cloud, her expression no longer seemed as gaunt as what he had first thought when he had saw her.

"Everything kosher, Bri? Brian!! Hello, Brian!" Tej yelled into his phone, starting to get worried. He knew Brian had a history of people wanting to come after him so he was more than a little concerned.

"Yo, man, chill. I'm here." Brian laughed, holding out the phone from his hand in case decided to test out his vocals some more. "Yes and no. That girl who won the race took me to my sister that I've been lookin for, Bro." Brian said with a big grin.

"No shit?" Tej asked surprised. "And here I thought you were hookin it up with race girl. Not that I'd blame you, she's smoking." Tej laughed, whistling as he thought about the girl he had saw Brian with. No one could hate on her, he thought to himself.

"I wouldn't mind getting with her, she's hot and she's got it going on." Brian grinned with a laugh. "I'll fill you in on the rest tomorrow, Man." Brian promised before hanging up.

"You gonna bring her by tomorrow?" Tej asked, himself crawling into his bed to get some rest in order to start the same stuff all over tomorrow.

"Yeah, for sure, man." Brian promised and hung up. He thought about what Jordan had said about Tran. He had thought Johnny Tran was dead. It seemed to him he was going to have to make a trip back to California, like it or not. He kind of wished Dominic and the crew would be there since he'd gotten all their records cleared but he doubted they would be. And even if they were there, Dominic would probably want revenge for his betrayal. He sighed and fell into a light but fit full sleep.


End file.
